Transparent bottle container



Feb. 19, s Q MILLER ET AL TRANSPARENT BOTTLE CONTAINER Filed May 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inwcntors ME 6. M r EarZ firil'cher 7 d 7 a g- I l J q- GnormgS.

Feb. 19, 1935. s Q LLER ET A 1,992,087

TRANSPARENT BOTTLE CONTAINER Filed May 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZSnventors unornegs.

Patented Feb. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRANSPARENT BOTTLE CONTAINER Application May 25, 1934, Serial No. 727,560

Claims.

The present invention relates to a container for bottles to protect the bottle and the labels thereon against damage and soiling during handling and shipping, and an object of the invention is to provide a container having these characteristics and which at the same time admits of the full and complete inspection'of the bottle, its labels and the contents of the bottle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a container having these features and which is constructed of transparent material adapted to be closed and to remain closed by the interlocking of certain parts of the container held in position by its inherent resiliency so that no fastening devices, adhesives or the like are necessary.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container of transparent material which is composed of a pair of like sections of peculiar identical construction having flaps and tongues bent in angular relation to the body portions of the sections, and wherein the sections are of a material offering an inherent resistance to bending but having sufficient flexibility to admit of the assembling and separating of the sections 9 in the opening and closing of the package.

A further object of the invention is to provide a bottle container which is constructed of Cellophane or like material possessing a high degree of transparency which is flexible and may be I bent within certain limits and which when creased or folded offers the necessary resistance tob ending or flexing out of its normal shape to provide necessary interlocking features for holding the container together and in closed position.

The invention further provides a container constructed of Cellophane and which has tongues, flaps and the like bent at an angle to the body portion of the container and wherein the body portion and the tongues at their bent or creased edges are provided with rounded openings or eyes to prevent rupture or cracking of the material as it is bent or flexed in constructing the container and in opening and closing the same.

- 5 With the foregoing and other objects in view,

the invention will be more fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a blank from which one of the two identical sections of the container is formed.-

Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the sections folded from the blank and showing certain parts fiexed into open position for assem blage with the opposite identical section.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the two like sections in partially interfitted position, showing 5 the opposite ends of the sections interlocked at one end of the container.

Figure 4 is a like view but with the sections in a further assembled or closed position, and

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the 10 complete transparent container having a bottle enclosed therein. I

Referring now to the drawings, and first to Figures 1 and 2, thereis shown in the blank and in folded position one of the two similar or like 15 sections of which the container is constructed. The container is preferably made completely of Cellophane or like transparent substance oflering the necessary resistance to bending and flexing so as to hold its shape when the parts are interlocked.

In Figures 1 and 2 the container section comprises a side wall or body part 10 which is of general rectangular shape and of substantially the height of the bottle to be enclosed. The side wall 10 is provided at one end,-such as the upper end shown in Figures 1 and 2, with a flap 11 of substantially the width of a complete container and which is bent at substantially right angles from the upper edge of the side wall 10 along a crease or line of bend 12. The flap 11 is of the same width as that of the side wall 10 and at its free edge is provided with a tongue 13 which is creased or folded on a line 14 defining the outer free edge of the flap 11. The side wall 10 terminates at its lower end in a free straight edge and no tongues or flaps are provided at this end of the side wall.

The side wall 10 is provided at its lateral edges with a pair of longitudinal flaps 15 which are preferably of the same width as the top flap 11 which is equal substantially to the width of the complete container.

The flaps 15 are bent or folded on fold lines 16 determining the opposite longitudinal edges of the side wall 10. The lower ends of the edge flaps 15 are provided with short flaps 1'7 which are bent onlines 18'determining the lower ends or edges of the flaps 15. From Figure l particularly it will be noticed that there is cut or punched 59 in the Cellophane or like material forming the blank an eye 19 at each corner of the side wall or body 10 and at the juncture of the adjacent end flap 11 and edge flaps 15, the lower eyes 19 also extending into the adjacent corners of the short flaps 17. These eyes are provided for the purpose of admitting of the free rounding or bending of the transparent material without cracking, bulging orwrinkling the same and so that the various flaps may be bent on their straight lines of bend 12, 16 and 18 without interference from the adjacent angularly disposed portions of the blank.

It will be noted from Figure 2 that the bodyblank is of substantial thickness so that it will support its various walls and edges by the inherent stifiness of the material, and as the material is of substantial thickness the eyes 19 are deemed essential in permitting of the folding or bending of the various flaps at the corners of the blank. Furthermore, the material of which the material is formed is such that when the flaps or other angularly disposed portions of the blank are bent on their respective crease or lines of bend such parts will remain inherently in such bent position and the bent parts may be flexed suificiently, as shown in Figure 2, to admit of the interlocking of the like sections of the container.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 4 particularly, it will be noted that the container comprises a pair of blanks such as described and shown in connection with Figures 1 and 2 and that these opposed sections are arranged with the end of one section in register with the opposite end of the other section so that in the assembled container there is a locking tongue 13 at each end thereof. With reference to Figures 3 and 4 it will be noted that a pair of like sections are fitted together with their oppositely constructed ends in register wherein the short flaps 17 of one section are bent over toward each other to close the end of the container and lie against the inner side of the end flap 11 of the opposite container section. The edge flaps 15 of said opposite or second section overlap the corresponding edge flaps 15 of the first container section and the locking tongue 13 of the second section engages between the free edge of the side wall of the first section and the adjacent lateral edges of the small inturned flaps 17, the tongue 13 being thus held securely against pulling outwardly by the short flaps 17 which lie flat against the inner side of the end flap 11.

At the opposite end of the container, or the upper end as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the locking tongue 13 of the first section extends downwardly between the free edge of the side wall 10 of the second section and the adjacent lateral edges of the short flaps 17 of the second section, the end flap 11 of the first section extending over and lying closely against the sides of the short flaps 1'7 to hold them securely closed. The container thus constructed may be economically produced as it is made of a pair of blanks which are identical in construction, the slight difference in the thickness of the material having but little effect in the assembling of the two sections as their edge flaps merely overlap and the inner ones may be flexed to a slightly greater extent than the outer flaps 15. The result is that the transparent container sections are interbraced one upon the other and there is provided a releasable locking tongue at each end of the container so that the latter may be opened with relative ease. The various flaps and tongues are bent at right angles on their adjacent lines of bend and normally lie at these angles so as to inherently hold the container sections in interlocking assembled position. Owing to the character of the transparent material used, these flaps and tongues may be flexed out of their normal positions sufllciently to release the sections one from the other or for merely opening the end of the container to withdraw a bottle 20, such as shown in Figure 5.

The transparent container is shown in Figure 5 as constituting the wrapper or enclosure for the bottle and may be proportioned as to width, thickness and height to snugly receive the bottle so that the bottle and container provide a suitable package for whiskey or the like wherein the labels, stamps and structure of the bottle may be readily observed and inspected through the container without withdrawing the bottle therefrom.

To open the container it is only necessary to grasp the lateral edges of the end flap 11 which is uppermost, as shown in Figure 5, and to flex this flap 11 upwardly to release the locking tongue 13. When this is done the flap l1 and the short flaps l7 therebeneath may be flexed outwardly into open position so that the bottle may be withdrawn through the top of the container. The provision of the eyes or openings 19 permit of the free flexing or bending of the flaps without danger of cracking or otherwise destroying or injuring the material of the container.

It is obvious that various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts could be made, which could be used without departing from the spirit of our invention, and we do not mean to limit the invention to such details except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A transparent bottle container comprising a pair of transparent sections adapted to snugly embrace a bottle, each section having one end and a pair of edge flaps with a locking tongue on the end flap, said flaps and tongues being bent at right angles to the body portion of the section and the inherent stifiness of the transparent material maintaining said flaps and tongues yieldably in angular relation to one another and the body portion of the section, said flaps adapted to overlap to close the sections one upon the other and said locking tongues adapted to fit between the body portions of the opposite sections and the adjacent flaps thereof.

2. A transparent bottle container comprising a pair of correspondingly constructed sections, each section having an end flap at one end with a locking tongue thereon and having edge flaps along the opposite edges of the body portion of the section and with short flaps on the ends of the edge flaps remote from said end flap and tongue, said flaps and tongue adapted to be bent at right angles to the adjacent supporting portions of the section and the inherent resiliency of the material of the sections holding said flaps and tongue yieldably in their angularly bent positions, said sections interfitting one with the other with the edge flaps overlapping and with the short flaps disposed against the inner sides and stamps, each section comprising a. blank having a body part providing a side wall for the containerand said side wall having an end flap at one end and a pair of edge flaps along its opposite longitudinal edges, each 01 said edge flaps having on its end remote from said end flap a short flap, said blank having eyes formed therethrough at the comers of said body part or side wall to admit of the bending and flexing of said flaps relative to the body part and each other without injury to the Cellophane.

4. A bottle container comprising a pair of sections adapted to embrace a bottle, each section having on one end a flap with a locking tongue on its free end and having an edge flap along each lateral edge, said flaps and tongues of the pair of sections being bent at right angles thereto and the inherent stiffness of the material of the sections maintaining said flaps and tongues yieldably in angular relation to one another and to the body portions of the sections, said sections adapted to be fitted about a bottle with the edge flaps in overlapping relation and with the end flaps extending across the opposite ends of the sections and the tongues lying against the inner sides of the sections, said edge flaps having short flaps adapted to extend toward each other beneath the end flaps and against said tongues to lock the same in position.

5. A bottle container comprising a pair of like sections adapted to embrace a bottle, each section having a side wall with edge flaps and one end flap with a locking tongue, said sections adapted to be assembled in reverse positions against the opposite sides of a bottle with the edge flaps of the sections overlapping and with the end flaps disposed one across each end of the container, the tongues of the end flaps e-xtending inwardly to lock the end flaps to the edge flaps of the opposite sections. 

